The following areas are closed from March 1-July 31 or until further notice:

Twin Owls, Rock One, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sheep Mountain, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Lightning Rock and Checkerboard Rock are currently closed. The closures include the named rock formations and the areas extending 100 yards surrounding the base of the formation. This includes all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber's access trails to the formation.

Description

This is the [50 foot] splitter jam and offwidth crack on the formation 100 feet left of the main Hen and Chickens formation (the question is, which is the Hen and which is the Chicken). Jam up the progressively widdening crack to the top. [Hands, fists, and a hint of the OW at the top.] Set a belay in cracks above (there may be bolts - I don't remember). Scramble off right ot left. [It can easily be top-roped off of gear.]

Per Charles Vernon: take the approach trail which branches left after about 1/4 mile up the Gem Lake trail (marked for Bowls of the Owls/Hen and Chicken). Go to the base of Hen and Chicken Rock (see routes 60-63), and scramble a short ways west to the base of the crack.

[Ed. This description includes 2 submissions...simplifing this to one entry in the database.]

I thought it seemed pretty tough, but, I tried to lie it back too much on the upper section, and after I felt like I would have suffered less by staying more in the crack... 5.9 seemed about right for the area though. Definitely seemed a grade or so harder that the first part of Wolf's Tooth which is an 8.

No liebacking required - excellent jams the whole way except for the last few widish moves, but those aren't so bad. Getting the feet in where it turns to fists and bulges a little bit was the crux for me.

If this is at, or as in my case beyond, your limit, bring one piece bigger than a 4 Friend - I was sandbagged into leaving the 4 Camalot on the ground, and I was a shaking mess topping out.

I thought it was full credit 5.9 and certainly not the 9- Gillett calls it, but if I can lead it it can't possibly be 5.10

Interesting. Kimball rated it 5.8+, Gillett 5.9-, Rossiter 5.9. Jams are good enough, you can stretch your day one more pitch, despite rain. Tape is nice. Allen will tell you, don't layback the sucker, especially in the rain. Jam it!

Resist the urge to lieback the crack. Good crack technique is all it takes. 1 #2 Camalot, 2 #3 Camalots, 1 #3.5 Camalot, and 1 #4 Camalot will protect the meat of it. Once you bellyflop over the top, a couple mid-size nuts and .5/.75 Camalots will build a nice anchor.

I just did this today. I feel that this is a 5.9. I am not typically that good at fisting, but once it gets that wide the feet get really good so you can almost palm the inside of the crack while you work your feet up or get some sloppy fist jams. This was a good route and [definitely] a good one to practice for wide stuff.

fun climb. It's short, but the couple moves of offwidth (like Tony, forearm jams for me) had me panting by the top...don't let the perfect jams at the start lull you to sleep. I thought it felt harder than Rooster Tail, but pretty similar in difficulty to other 5.9 offwidth climbs.

This pitch is not 50 feet, more like 30 feet and a few more back to an anchor stance that takes #1 and #2 Camalots, nor is it an offwidth (perhaps if you're a 5'4", 95 lb., trad chick!). My fists are a 3.5, and I had jams the whole length, rattly at the top with one #4. Approach shoes made for good feet. Stiff 5.9 seems like a reasonable grade. Well worth the effort. Walk off to the right.